Palestinian voter registration extended for two days

RAMALLAH, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Elections Commission (CEC) on Monday extended the registration of new voters in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank for two more days.

The updating of voter registration records was supposed to end Monday, but as more people are going to the registration centers, Palestinian groups recommended the CEC to extend the period of registration, said Hisham Kuhail, the CEC executive director.

The CEC started its work in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip last week, making the first practical step on the way of national reconciliation between Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, which rules the West Bank.

However, Hamas and Fatah did not reach an agreement on when to hold the general elections.

The reconciliation aims at restoring political unity to the Palestinian territories after Hamas kicked out Fatah and pro-Abbas forces from Gaza in 2007.

Jameel al-Khaldi, a CEC official, said 94 percent of the new eligible voters have registered in Gaza and 78 percent in the West Bank.

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